Starter control



Sept. 17, 1963 R. c. STRAUSS STARTER CONTROL Original Filed Dec. 3, 19523 9 \w m l W w mnwg \m N wMN .w mm IN u V ISM 2m 9m 3w mwm VWN wwf WNNwWW INVENTOR.

BY Q? M United States Patent Office 3,103,828 Patented Sept. 17, 19633,103,823 STARTER CONTRQL Raymond C. Strauss, 301 W. Lenawee, Lansing,Mich. Application Apr. 24, 1957, Ser. No. 654,700, now Patent No.2,960,200, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 323,787, Dec.3, 1952. Divided and this application Mar. 14, 1960, Ser. No. 14,997

1 Claim. (Ci. 74-472) This invention relates tomotor vehicles havingchange speed transmissions and particularly to a device for positioningthe transmission selector lever at an out-of-gear position so that themotor may be started in safety.

The principal object of this invention is to improve the constructionand operation of the out-of-gear positioning and starting mechanismshown in my Patent Number 3,035,563. This application is a division ofSerial Number 654,700, filed April 24, 1957, now Patent Number2,960,200, which application was a continuation of Serial Number323,787, filed December 3, 1952, now abancloned.

The drawing is a sectional view of a hydraulically actuated,hydraulically pressured latch controlled form of the device, carriedwithin an automatic transmission as an operating part thereof.

The drawing shows a form of the out-of-gear positioning and restartingmechanism wherein hydraulic pressures developed by the pumps within theautomatic transmission itself are utilized to cock the outof-gearpositioning shaft and to shift a piston to block the movement of theshift lever into parking position.

A cylindrical casting 200, which may be carried externally of thetransmission as an accessory, is here shown to be housed withintransmission 2 and attached thereto by bolts 201 so that it is made anoperable part of the transmission along with such other parts as geartrain 2A shown to be partly revealed in another compartment of thetransmission. Casting 200 has drilled at the axial center of cylindricalarea 202 a bearing opening 203 to receive electrically non-conductingshaft 204. Electrically non-conducting end cap 205 is threaded to theopen end of casting 200 and carries at its axial center bearing opening206 for the opposite end of shaft 204. Shaft 204 'at shoulder 207 isthreaded to receive piston 208 on the rim of which rides piston ring 209snapped into groove 210 for contact with cylindrical area 202. Shaft 204at one point on its surface has embedded therein electrically conductinginsert 211 for registry with terminal screws 212 and 213, and has atanother point elongated groove cut 214 for cooperation with piston rod215 riding perpendicular thereto in bearing opening 216 of end cap 205.Opening 216 enlarges at its upper end into cylindrical area 217 in whichrides piston ring 218 snapped into rim groove 219 of piston 220 which isthreaded to the upper end of piston rod 215. A spring 221 bears againstthe lower Wall of area 217, carrying a port 222, and against theunder-surface of piston 220. End cap 223 threads into the upper end ofcylindrical area 217, and has put through its axial center port 224threaded to receive tubing 225 connecting with the customary drivesh-aftdriven rear pump 226 of the automatic transmission 2, said pump being ofthe variety that will produce a pressure when the driveshaft rotateseither clockwise or counterclockwise and shall produce at least amoderate pressure in tubing 225 under very low vehicle speed conditions,preferably /2 mile per hour or less.

L-shaped port 228 in casting 200 at the end opposite to end cap 205communicates with cylindrical area 202 and is threaded to connect withtubing 229 joined to the customary motor driven front pump 230 of theautomatic transmission 2, said pump producing a pressure in tubing 229as soon as the motor becomes self-operating. B-attery 231, groundedthrough lead 232, connects through lead 233' to starter 234, lead 235connecting starter 234 to ignition switch 236, and lead 237 connectingignition switch 236 with terminal screw 212, terminal screw 213 beinggrounded through lead 238.

A spring 239 bears between the upper surface of piston 203 and the innersurface of end cap 205. A port 240 communicates the inner and outersurfaces of end cap 205 to connect either by tubing or directly with theoil reservoir area of transmission 2, port 222 being arranged in thesame manner. The shaft 204 is aligned to abut shift lever 241, connectedexternally through link 241', here shown in broken lines, to thesteering column mounted manual selector lever (not shown).

In the operation of the mechanism so far described, it is obvious thatthe motor of the vehicle is in operation as evidenced by the fact thatthe front pump 230 has forced oil through tubing 229 into cylindricalarea 202 behind piston 208 to compress spring 239 and move shaft 204 tothe right end limits of its travel so that it has been possible for thedriver to manually position shift lever 241 in reverse. It is alsoobvious that the vehicle is moving backward as evidenced by the factthat rear pump 226 has forced oil through tubing 225 into the uppersection of cylindrical area 217 behind piston 220 to cornpress spring221 and move shaft 215 into engagement with elongated groove 214 toprevent ejection of shift lever 241 by shaft 204 into parking.

If, now, the motor stalls while the vehicle is moving backwardly,pressure from the front pump 230 in tubing 229 will disappear and spring239 will be free to drive piston 208 and shaft 204 away from end cap205, moving shift lever 241 as far as neutral position at which locationelectrically conducting insert 211 closes the starter circuit betweenterminal screws 212 and 213 for immediate cranking and restarting of themotor and subsequent return of piston 208 and cap 205, whereupon shiftlever 241 will be freed for manual return to an in-gear position. If thevehicle stops moving before the motor has been restarted, pressure fromrear pump 226 will disappear and spring 221 will be free to lift shaft215 from engagement with groove cut 214, permitting spring 239 to movepiston 208 and shaft 204 to the leftward limits of their travel, therebyforcing shift lever 241 into parking position. Since insert 211 is longenough to continue contact with terminal screws 212 and 213, the starter234 will continue cranking the motor until the motor is restartedwhereupon p-iston 208 will again be moved toward cap 205 and the startercircuit will be broken so that shift lever 241 may again be manuallymoved to an in-gear position. Instead of pump 230, the oil pump of themotor, the water pump, or the like, producing fluid pressure only whilethe motor is in operation, may be substituted.

At any time the ignition switch 236 is turned to off the shift lever 241will, after the motor stops, be ejected, if in-gear, to neutral, andafter the vehicle stops moving it will be moved to parking. In eitherneutral or parking position, when the ignition switch 236 is turned toon, the motor will again be started and shift lever 241 will be freedfor manual in-gear positioning.

I claim:

In a motor vehicle having an automatic transmission with a selectorshift mem'ber movable to different positions for positioning thetransmission in park, neutral, and drive conditions, said vehicle havingan engine and having an engine operated power source that operates onlywhen the engine is running and which stops when the engine stopsrunning, said vehicle having a low-speed pump means that operates todeliver pressure at speeds of approximately one-half mile per hour andless and which stops when the vehicle stops moving, a safe startingdevice for automatically positioning the shift member in neutralposition when the engine stops running and the vehicle is moving and forautomatically positioning the shift member in park position when theengine stops running and the vehicle stops moving, said devicecomprising a movable shaft member adapted to engage said shift memberand drive it to said neutral and park positions, spring meansoperatively connected to said shaft member to provide the force formoving it when the shaft member engages said shift member to drive theshift member to said neutral and park positions, shaft member holdingmeans operatively connected to and powerized by said power source forholding said shaft member out of driving engagement with the shiftmember when the engine is running, said shaft member holding meansreleasing said shaft member for movement by the spring means when theengine and power source stop, shaft member movement limiting meansoperatively References (lited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 2,426,234 Naracher et a1. Aug. 26, 1-947 2,960,081 Strauss Nov.15, 1960 2,960,200 Strauss Nov. 15, 1960

